Cookin' the Books by Amy Patricia Meade

Welcome!  The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick comes out March 25 with Hope on the Inside by Marie Bostwick and Designs on Murder by Gayle Leeson.  Murder at the Marina by Janet Finsilver publishes on April 2 along with The Spitfire Girls in the Sky by Fenella J. Miller and Lights! Camera! Puzzles! by Parnell Hall.  An Amish Reunion by Amy Clipston, Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller and Kelly Irvin is available on April 9.  My TBR pile is growing!

Cookin’ the Books by Amy Patricia Meade is the first A Tish Tarragon Mystery.  Letitia “Tish” Tarragon has moved to Hobsen Glen, Virginia where she is opening Cookin’ the Books Café.  Tish serves book themed items food items in the café plus caters event using a literary theme.  When Binnie Broderick, the executive director of the Hobsen Glen Library, finds herself without a caterer for the upcoming annual library fundraiser, Schuyler Thompson, Tish’s landlord, recommends Tish for the job.  Schuyler does warn Tish that Binnie can be difficult.  Tish feels she is up for the challenge and gets the job catering a three course meal for three hundred guests with a literary theme (nothing too deep per Binnie).  The library fundraiser is the premier social event of Hobsen Glen.  The party is well attended despite the rain and the first course is well received by everyone except Binnie.  She insists on dousing her food in hot sauce before taking a bite. During the second course, Binnie suddenly clutches her throat and then falls face first into her plate of prime rib.  Sheriff Clemson Reade is in charge of the case.  He takes a close look at Tish and her staff when it is discovered that Binnie was poisoned.  Tish needs to prove her food and staff were not at fault or Cookin’ the Books Café will close before it has had its grand opening.  Tish soon learns that Binnie was an unpopular woman which leaves her with a lengthy suspect list.  Who disliked Binnie enough to want her dead?  Tish intends to find out in Cookin’ the Books.

 

Cookin’ the Books has an interesting premise with a literary themed café.  The author came up with some clever names for the food dishes with my favorite being The Prime Rib of Miss Jean Brodie.  Tish Tarragon is our main character.  I liked Tish, but I wish we had learned more about her.  There is an assortment of secondary characters including Enid Kemper who walks around with her bird, Langhorne on her shoulder (she is banned from the library by Binnie).   Jules Jefferson Davis, Tish’s friend and local weatherman, is a gregarious man who works hard to promote Tish’s new endeavor along with Mary Jo Okensholt, Tish’s friend).  The story had varied pacing.  I found it a bit slow in the middle and could have done with less internal dialogue (Tish thinking).  There is romance (of course) for Tish with her landlord, Schuyler Thompson.  It is obvious from the beginning that Binnie will be the victim (it is mentioned in the blurb as well).  Binnie is an unlikeable woman who goes out of her way to antagonize people.  There are multiple suspects and good clues.  I have a feeling many readers will not be surprised by the killer’s identity.  There are literary puns that will delight book lovers.  The town is beautifully described (we get more on the town than on Tish).  It is a small town where everyone knows your business and gossip spreads faster than butter on hot pancakes.  There are many lovely cozy moments in the book for readers to enjoy.  Cookin’ the Books is a charming story and a positive way to begin A Tish Tarragon Mystery series.

Amy Patricia Meade is the author of The Marjorie McClelland Mysteries, A Rosie the Riveter Mystery series and A Pret' Near Perfect Mystery series.  Thank you for joining me today.  I will feature Hetty's Secret War by Rosie Clarke tomorrow.  I hope you day is filled with joy.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader